Small Water Dripping From WIFI Hook Up

Kodt · 04-18-2021, 07:06 PM

So we got this keystone hideout in January and it seems little things left and right have been going wrong. Between you guys and sams clubs support ive fixed slot of it.

But now im baffled. Its been around 70 the last few days and ive noticed water drops on the floor. (Its was stormy the last few weeks no noticable leak coming through the spot in question).

I found its dripping off the screw from the wifi hook up thing. Image of what im talking about.

The ceiling it self doesnt feel wet. I stuck my finger up in the hole and it didnt seem to be wet up their. So I'm baffled. Could it of been a small leak and now with it being hot its "sweating" the water out? Ive caulked around the antenna cover up top..

Im buying a cover. Im trying to figure out a way to get it to a keystone authorized repair shop because Im hoping i hear back from keystone and say okay covering it. Doubt they will.

Edit:

So i decided to take the cap off inside in hopes it would help dry it. When removing the cap I got a nice bit of water on me. So i decided to fill as far as i could get a finger in and some of the insulation is wet. So thats awesome. :l

**JRTJH** · 04-18-2021, 07:17 PM

Just a "WAG" (wild a** guess):

It may be a leak in the antenna module on the roof that has the WIFI antenna in it. Could be the water is "wicking down the wires inside the antenna dome" from leaking around the antenna attachment. If it's doing that, you may not feel anything "wet" around the hole in the ceiling as the water is slowly "creeping" along the wiring insulation without wicking into the fiberglass....

I'd get on the roof, disassemble the TV antenna/WIFI components from the roof and reseal them with self leveling sealant after replacing the BUTYL putty tape under everything up there.

Kodt · 04-18-2021, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Just a "WAG" (wild a** guess):

It may be a leak in the antenna module on the roof that has the WIFI antenna in it. Could be the water is "wicking down the wires inside the antenna dome" from leaking around the antenna attachment. If it's doing that, you may not feel anything "wet" around the hole in the ceiling as the water is slowly "creeping" along the wiring insulation without wicking into the fiberglass....

I'd get on the roof, disassemble the TV antenna/WIFI components from the roof and reseal them with self leveling sealant after replacing the BUTYL putty tape under everything up there.

I just find it odd that its dripping water when its hot and dry out.

Im guessing if your guess is right it has some water pooled inside it or condensation. Ill take a look tomorrow after stopping by the rv store to get some stuff preemptively.

When i was up their earlier the plastic black cover it self looked good. But i did notice the original sealent around it when pushed on felt moist and had water. I didnt think about taking the cover off to check inside. It was getting pretty late.

**JRTJH** · 04-18-2021, 07:43 PM

Not sure if your trailer has ducted air conditioning or not. If it does, there may be a screw or staple through the ductwork right next to the WIFI ceiling unit. If that screw or staple poked a hole in the ducting, it could be blowing "cold air on the wires, causing them to collect condensation.... Yep, another WAG LOL

Plus, if you're running the air conditioner, the water flow from the A/C runs across the roof, which just might be what's causing the sealant you noticed as "soggy".....

Kodt · 04-18-2021, 07:52 PM

We haven't been using AC at all. :/
Im just so confused on what could be causing it. I guess until I actually open it I wont know.

Running theory that my grandpa has is condensation from the inside of the cover from it being so cold in the morning outside. Then like you said its just running down the wires.

Bill-2020 · 04-18-2021, 07:53 PM

If you have the Winegard 360+ model, the dome is attached to the base with a couple of screws on the side of the dome. (I can't speak for the basic 360 model, the non-plus version). The gasket that seals the dome to the base is ok, but not ideal. This could be where water seeped in. I sealed that seam again with black RTV all the way around that seam, then a small blob of RTV over each of the crew heads themselves just to make sure it was totally sealed.

Kodt · 04-18-2021, 08:07 PM

Thats what I got. So you just used black RTV and put it on the seal? I plan to screw around with it tomorrow since this weeks supposed to be nice and no rain.

Tbh apart of me wants to upgrade the roofing to PVC roofing from a local company and just ask them if they can remove the antenna lmao Im never going to use it.

Edit:

So i decided to take the cap off inside in hopes it would help dry it. When removing the cap I got a nice bit of water on me. So i decided to fill as far as i could get a finger in and some of the insulation is wet. So thats awesome. :l

Bill-2020 · 04-19-2021, 12:06 AM

You may have more of a leak from around the antenna base than from around the base and dome seal. Unless you can pinpoint this by looking on the roof (careful being on there) for areas that need more Dicor sealant, I’d schedule an appointment with your dealer for warranty repair. Let’s hope you can see. If you remove the dome, and there’s water under it, you have a poor seal around the base where it meets the TPO roofing material or a bad seal where the dome seals to the base (where I used the RTV). Do not use RTV on the roofing material, use only Dicor or Alpha Systems from a camper dealer.

**flybouy** · 04-19-2021, 02:49 AM

You have a roof leak, period. If you think about it the windows would condesate long before a screw in the ceiling. Why the delay between rai. And the drip. I'm guessing that's because the leak takes time to saturate the insulation and find an exit. Follow John's advice on resealing outside and leave that wifi antenna off inside so it will dry out the insulation.

Kodt · 04-19-2021, 07:02 PM

Its all taken care of! (Hopefully lmao) thank you all for the input and being my sounding boards! Im also getting a cover just incase lmao. We are scheduling to get the roof upgraded to pvc, i mean why not(seriously what do you guys think)? Lol.

**JRTJH** · 04-20-2021, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kodt

Its all taken care of! (Hopefully lmao) thank you all for the input and being my sounding boards! Im also getting a cover just incase lmao. We are scheduling to get the roof upgraded to pvc, i mean why not(seriously what do you guys think)? Lol.

I'd ask, does a $6000 lawn mower cut the grass any better than a $1000 mower??? Or is it the "sharpness of the blades that matters" ???

You might want to do some research on the differences (not sales hype selling points) between TPO roofing and PVC roofing. Here's one "unsecure blog" that discusses the two types: https://blog.gaf.com/pvc-vs-tpo-is-t...%20weld%20well.

That said, when considering installing an expensive roof on an entry level trailer ??? The reason most people buy a Hideout is to get into RVing cheaply to "test the waters". It's not going to appreciate in value and a PVC roof that costs $5K to install will not improve the resale value "next year when you upgrade"... For most people who would buy a "used Hideout", they couldn't care less if the roof is OEM TPO or aftermarket PVC, so the "upgrade" won't matter to most potential buyers....

As for increased reliability by installing a PVC roof: How many have "fallen apart without the upgrade" ??? How many have lasted longer "because of that upgrade" ???

If you've "solved the roof leak" that wasn't caused by the TPO roofing, then why replace the TPO roofing that's doing exactly what it's supposed to do ???

In short, that's an extremely expensive upgrade to one of the cheapest trailers on the market and won't increase the value of the trailer, so it's "money down the drain"... Why not sell the current trailer for what you've got in it and buy a better grade trailer with the features you want ????

One of the closest analogies I can come up with is: Lipstick on a pig...

Kodt · 04-22-2021, 09:14 AM

We have no plan on selling the keystone. It will be paid off in a year and we plan to keep it on the lot fulltime. Maybe after the year we might buy something on the spendy side for other recreational needs. But since this one is essitially a stationary get away we thought about upgrading the roof. We might end up putting it under a metal cover who knows.

So it definitely wouldnt be a increase in value reason. Its more of a ease of mind reason. I'll take a look at that blog all the videos ive seen are pretty one sided on why a person should do it.

Bill-2020 · 04-22-2021, 09:21 AM

A pole barn as you said would benefit you more... built it wider and you have a larger solid “awning” year round, wind or not.

Kodt · 04-22-2021, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill-2020

A pole barn as you said would benefit you more... built it wider and you have a larger solid “awning” year round, wind or not.

Lol I thought about it this also. Being up in PNW it would benefit out door usage more lol. Some rainy day bbqs under it.

Bill-2020 · 04-22-2021, 11:47 AM

I almost lost an awning to a storm that came in quickly. One of those that literally changed from nice with a hint of a breeze to a wall of water from the skies and gusts of wind that took the chairs and side table out. That slow awning motor was painfully slow as I watched in horror as the awning would billow up over the height of the camper, the arms flexing against the gas struts and the motor aching to continue to roll in. I had to release the button several a times in fear of burning the motor up. What took 30 some odd seconds seemed like forever with that wind. I just knew I’d be the one with an awning flipped up and over the other side of the camper and holes in the side wall from where the screws ripped out. I was lucky.

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